After I awoke and had some breakfast, I went directly to the Guild Hall,looking for Harleigh. Since I didn't immediately spot him, I spent sometime going through the boards, noticing a few new quests and group posterson them.I waited around for maybe an hour, but then decided to go out into thecourtyard to check, after not being able to find him in the hall nor on thefirst and second floors.Before trying to practice Repel again, I sat in the shade of the tree andmeditated for a bit, though it wasn't as easy alone as when the Crusaderverbally instructed me on how I ought to picture my inner spirit and theflow of energy through my body.As I came up to the shooting range, I saw that the dummy I'd destroyedthe day before had been replaced, which made me feel guilty for whoeverhad been charged with the task. I spent a while practising my rapid-fireRepel before giving up on trying to improve and returning to the GuildHall, where I once again didn't spot Harleigh anywhere.Though it felt awkward, I asked for a beverage from the tavern-esquecounter and was handed diluted sweet mead in a mug. I found a table andsat down, observing the hall and the newcomers while weakly sipping thefaintly alcoholic beverage. It most certainly wasn't something I fancied,instead preferring the cold teas from the store I'd visited yesterday. But itwas cheap, costing only three copper crowns, and hydrating, so I stilldecided to try and finish it.Sometime towards noon, a short chubby man in dark clothes and aheavy coat, wearing strange goggles and with shoulder-length greasy blackhair, came over and sat down opposite me by the small circular table. I wassurprised by his appearance but didn't say anything, as I felt certain that hewas my senior and figured I was intruding on what might be his preferredspot in the hall. As I looked across the table at him, I noticed how the lensesof his brass goggles distorted the colour of his eyes, somehow continuallyshifting his irises through a rainbow of hues."Wanna be my apprentice?" he asked in a gruff, phlegmy voice thatmade me wonder if he smoked frequently.I blinked, uncomprehending.Apparently, he took it as a sign that I hadn't heard him over the noise ofthe hall, so he leaned across the table, putting his two fat-fingered andcalloused hands on the tabletop, tipping it towards himself. Immediately,my mug began sliding away from me towards the edge, but I managed tograb it before it spilled."Do. You. Want. To. Be. My. Apprentice?" he asked again, speaking asthough I wasn't just deaf but also learning-impaired."I'm an Exorcist," I told him, thinking that the word alone would drivehim off."Yeah, no shit. I meant as an Exorcist Apprentice, pipsqueak."Who's the pipsqueak here? You're shorter than me, old man…I didn't like his attitude, but part of me was eager to have a propermentor. "Are you an Exorcist yourself?""That's right. Been in this business for over thirty years. But you see,I'm getting old, and I want to train an apprentice to replace me when Ieventually mess up and get eaten by a Banshee or something…"That's grim."That's very altruistic," I replied politely. "But why me?""Don't kid yourself, I'm doing it as much for my sake as for the Guild'ssake. And I just picked you, because you look wet behind the ears andExorcist Novitiates don't exactly grow on the trees. I'm sure if I had thepick of the litter, you wouldn't be it, pipsqueak, but alas, such is the state ofour profession.""Is this your attempt at trying to convince me to say yes?" I asked,cracks beginning to form in my polite façade. Something about his way oftalking down to me was incredibly irritating and provoking."You don't exactly have many options yourself, young man. Æmos hasprobably told you your odds of surviving your first Exorcism, but I bet hedidn't mention that those who do survive always have a mentor to guidethem. It's more like one in a hundred who survive their first Exorcismwithout outside guidance.""I already have someone showing me the ropes," I replied as a way ofdeclining his offer."Mister Holier-than-thou?" he asked. "I noticed he had finally found aconscience, but"—he made a show of looking around the room—"he's nothere today, is he?"I was surprised that he knew Harleigh was the one I'd been referring to."Do you know where he is?""His party was called in for an urgent Bounty Quest, so they'll no doubtbe gone for a few weeks chasing whatever it is the Guild is fretting aboutthis time."I lowered my head sadly. "I see.""So, what do you say?"Æmos had advised me to find a mentor, and, though he was verypatronising, who was I to look a gift horse in the mouth?"Very well. What kind of training will we be doing first?"Instead of answering, he eased back off the table and pulled a scrollfrom his pocket, uncrinkled it, and placed it on the table such that the textwas facing me. My heart sank when I recognised the Exorcism Quest I'dbeen glancing at for the past two days.The Haunting at Hamsel's RestEXORCISM QUESTTYPE: PerilousRANK: NovitiateEight people have gone missing from the village known as"Hamsel's Rest," and all signs point to a Haunting, though no oneknows the exact entity behind the disappearances.You are to travel to the village and ascertain what nature ofapparition is behind the tragedy, such that an experienced Exorcistcan tailor their approach to dealing with the entity.You are under no circumstances to attempt exorcising the apparitionby yourself, as this is too dangerous a task for a Novitiate!REWARD: 1 Gold & 40 Silver CrownsA Guild representative with shoulder-long blonde hair, dressedidentically to Caroline in a green blouse and skirt, greeted us when we cameto the counter with the Exorcism Quest. She quickly scanned it, then lookedus over."A new Apprentice, Master Owl?"That's a strange name, I thought immediately, but then rememberedwhat Harleigh had told me about adventurers and their names. From histitle, I wondered if he was in fact of Master rank in the Guild, as that wouldput him above Æmos. It was also possible that it was just a respectful wayof referring to him, due to his advanced age."That's right, sweetheart."I spotted the tiny twitch in the corner of her eye at his term ofendearment, but she was a professional, so she didn't comment. I wonderedif people often harassed the Guild representatives and clerks."Your Guild Cards, please," she requested, and we handed them to her. Itried to get a look at Owl's card, but he purposefully angled it away fromme, which I found to be very suspicious. After all, I'd yet to see it andascertain that he was in fact an Exorcist, though I assumed that the Guildrepresentatives would at least ensure I didn't just go off on a quest withsome random guy… Right?As she took our cards and placed them with the Exorcism Quest scrollatop a magical slate similar to the one for renting equipment, I felt nothingbut dread and apprehension. How many times had I been warned againsttaking on such a quest before being ready?Owl seemed to notice my inner turmoil because he leaned close andwhispered, with a hot breath that stank of smoke, "They suspend your GuildLicense if you try to return a quest you have accepted. They're quite seriousabout that sort of thing."I'm screwed.I was trailing after the chubby Exorcist while heading to a part of Lundiathat I hadn't seen before, called the Market Ward. It was similar to theCommerce Ward but had more than just shops, as you could find livestockand horses, as well as people selling their services. These services includedanything from bodyguards to prostitutes. Unlike the other ward, it was alsoabsolutely thronged with people and stank of oil, smoke, metal, and sweat."Anything catch your fancy, pipsqueak?""I'm not interested in that kind of thing," I replied. In my mind, I couldstill only imagine being with Inoue. Of course, I would never see her again,and even if I somehow managed to find my way back to Earth, she wouldhave no doubt moved on by then.Master Owl paused, then turned to look at me, still wearing his bizarreeye-colour-shifting goggles. Then he laughed mightily."That's not what I meant," he managed to get out before another fit oflaughter came over him. "We're looking for a mercenary to escort us."I felt warmth colour my face as embarrassment overtook me. After afew deep breaths, I managed to ask, "Why didn't we just make a quest forthe Adventurers' Guild? We can do that, right?""Don't be silly. First off, those things are way too expensive. Secondly,you don't know what you'll get. The Mercenary Guild is a far better choicefor people like us. So, do you see anyone you like the look of? Intuitionabout these things is important, you know?""What do we need a bodyguard for?" I asked while scanning the peopleshowcasing their shiny equipment and glistening oiled-up muscles."Us Exorcists, we've got the kind of Luck that makes us magnets fordisaster and misfortune. Trust me on this: we need a bodyguard. Best makeit a habit to befriend strong people who can protect your sorry ass.""But don't we have access to familiars? Can't they protect us?""Ehh, that's a terrible idea. Don't rely on something you summoned tohave your best interests in mind.""Why not? I have the skill to make a familiar pact, and I've been toldthey can be used for protection.""You've been told that by people who haven't actually used familiars,"he replied.I couldn't really argue with that, but he seemed to believe that I stillneeded convincing, so he pulled his goggles up over his head and pointed tohis left eye, then lifted his long bangs to show a dark scar that ran up to hisscalp."See this eye?" he asked, then tapped it with his index finger, producinga dull clink-clink sound. "Lost it to a Crimson Nightingale I summoned andrelied on a bit too much when I was still a naïve Seeker, who thought I washot shit. Dumb bitch tore my fucking eye out when I tried to ask her to dosomething not included in my pact. So yeah, don't rely on familiars, forthey do not have your best interests in mind. They're basically like spiritsthat we kidnap and bind to our commands by using contracts."I frowned. The picture of Exorcists and their work that he was paintingfor me was wildly different than the romantic image of supernaturaldetective work that Harleigh had described."Back to the matter at hand," he said, putting his goggles back on andscanning the crowds. "You see anyone?""There's a lot of people showing off, but polished armour and oiled-upmuscles don't really say much about their skill," I remarked honestly."Huh, you actually have a good head on your shoulders, boyo. Good. Iwas starting to become despondent at your naivety.""How about her?" I asked, pointing to a two-metre-tall woman whosedark-plate armour had seen many battles but whose stance and expressionwere like the very image of a natural-born killer.Master Owl appraised her for a bit, then turned to look at me with astupid grin on his face. "Is that your type, huh? Tall and beautiful, but withthe strength to snap you in half?""I just thought she looked strong," I replied, trying not to rise to the bait."Oh she's strong, that's for sure, but probably a bit of a hothead too. Alot of Vanguards are like that, though, sort of par for the course with theirlot.""You can tell what role she has?"He looked back at me again, then said, "You should be able to as well.You have the Spirit Sight after all. Argh, but right, they don't give youSpirit Goggles just like that… Hold on a moment."He began rummaging through a pouch on his right hip but didn't findwhat he was seeking. He switched to searching inside his heavy leather coatbefore eventually finding what he was looking for in a breast pocket. Hegave them a quick appraisal then rubbed the lenses on the edge of hisstained shirt before handing me a pair of goggles that were similar to thosehe wore, although the left lens was cracked down the middle. They alsosmelled of his rancid sweat."Put those on and you'll see what I mean."I pulled the goggles over my head, then had to tighten the leather strapon the back for them to fit to my face, but as I looked through the lenses, Isuddenly saw what Owl must've been seeing every day for years.Every person was lit up with some sort of glow, each with a certaincolour that, for some reason, effortlessly translated into a tangiblepersonality trait or mix of traits in my mind. When I looked at the curly redhaired and dark-skinned two-metre-tall Vanguard, her body was outlined bya pulsing, spiky red aura that translated in my mind to meaning only onething.Danger.Looking at Master Owl, I didn't notice an aura at all, but when he sawme staring at him, he grinned suspiciously, which made me think he had away of hiding it."When you get enough practice studying people's auras, you canimmediately tell what sort of role they're suited for. It's the principle whichthe Guild's soul-stone tablets work off of, for example the whole 'SoulColour' thing, although that's a bit misleading."I scanned the crowd of people a bit longer and saw the same red glowon a few of the other mercenaries offering up their services, but while thetall woman's was spiky and menacing, theirs were soft or full of roundedbits, with some even having an aura that visibly trembled, perhaps due tosome anxiety or fear.The more I looked around, the more I noticed how, not just themercenaries, but everyone, even the blonde, lightly tanned natives ofLundia, had auras that could be translated into a role for the Guild. If Icould've looked down at myself and seen my own aura, I was sure I'd haveseen the violet soul colour that my Guild Card listed."I thought only us Otherworlders had the ability to be Role Assigned," Icommented."My guess is that because we do not belong to this world, the DivineOnes that govern it decided that we must be given a purpose in such a crudeway. But what you're seeing are the auras of people, expressed through theenergy leaking from their soul. Everyone has a soul, not just us outsiders,but ours are stronger than the natives'. That's why only we can beassigned."That makes sense, I suppose."So? Have you changed your mind?""I think she's the most competent one here," I told him. While lookingaround, I'd seen a rainbow of hues, although none like the colours of Æmosand Harleigh's auras."All right, let's go introduce ourselves," Owl answered with a smirk. Idoubted the woman would want to work with us when she discovered that Iwas an inexperienced weakling, and he was a frustrating lecher.A river of bodies moved back and forth between where we stood on anincline and where the tent with the mercenaries was placed, but instead ofshoving his way through, Owl simply lifted his right hand and pointedstraight towards the woman.As though he were Moses parting the sea, the mass of people beganshifting and moving in a way that allowed us to walk straight through thecrowds. No sooner had I followed him than the flow of people returned tonormal behind me.When we emerged out the other side, near the tents, I asked, "How'dyou do that?""I used Repel.""It can be used like that!?""Ah, I see you've already familiarised yourself with it a bit? MaybeHolier-than-thou Harleigh isn't as terrible an instructor as I feared. But yes,all your skills can be used in a multitude of ways. If you can imagine it, it'llprobably work. Repel is a spell that affects the soul of a person, and thoughit can be used to physically repel them, it can also be used to subtlymanipulate people, like herding sheep in a way.""You used the skill without a focus as well. How's that possible?""Hm, I thought you were smarter than this. It's called a 'focus' for areason, pipsqueak. It focuses your energy. With enough training, you don'tneed any tools to use your skills. However, tools are meant to be used,because to not use them is ineffective and, quite frankly, moronic.""I don't actually need these goggles to see people's souls?""Certainly, although I use them because maintaining the Spirit Sightwithout them always gives me a thundering headache. A benefit of notusing a focus for a spell is that it becomes weaker, which is preferable toachieve a subtle result. Like a drizzle of rain rather than a monsoon, if youget what I mean."I didn't truly, but I was sure I just needed to practice not using a focus,and then I'd internalise the truth he was speaking. Although he wasirritating and mean, he was a trove of knowledge that I would do my best tolearn from.Before I could ask anything further, he strode towards the Vanguard,who, to my surprise, was staring intently at us, perhaps having sensed ourgazes on her for a while."Howdy, sweetheart. Wanna hang out with us?"How's that your opening pitch…?"Exorcists, are you?" she asked. Her voice was deep but with a distinctfeminine edge to it and reminded me of the voice actress Park Romi, whosevoice I'd always liked. "I don't think you can afford me.""Now-now, no need to be hasty," Owl replied. "If you know enoughabout Exorcists, you must be aware that we're paid very handsomely by theAdventurers' Guild.""I'm also aware that your jobs tend to get lots of people killed. Besides,you don't look like the image of affluence, wearing such hand-me-downclothes and wielding rented gear." For this latter comment, she was lookingat me."Keen eye you have," he praised her. "But you see, we're about toembark on a quest that pays ten gold, and for your services, we're willing topay you 10 percent of the reward."Are you crazy!? I almost yelled at him. The reward for the quest wasonly one gold, forty silver, and if we gave her the lion's share, then we'donly be splitting the forty silver, meaning neither of us would be that welloff, while she'd be laughing all the way to the bank."Let me see the quest," she demanded.Owl reached into his coat and brought out a crinkled scroll that wasquite clearly not the same as the quest we had both accepted, which madealarm bells go off in my head.As the Vanguard was reading through the specifics of the quest, I pulledOwl aside."What quest is that?? Did you lie to me? Where are we even going??""Relax, boyo. It's the same as yours, just above your rank.""So it's also for Hamsel's Rest?""That's right. You didn't think I'd be satisfied just splitting the measlyreward with you like that, did you? Also, you'll be paying her one goldretainer out of your quest reward, but I'll let you keep the rest.""Wait, so what's the point of me going there to figure out what kind ofmonster is responsible for the disappearances if you'll be able toimmediately handle it?""Are you unfamiliar with the concept of an apprenticeship?" he asked,looking at me as though I was potentially very stupid. "Of course I couldeasily do your job for you, but what exactly does that teach you? Considerwhat we're undertaking here a form of supervision. I'll leave the actualquest in your hands, but I'll make sure you don't do something profoundlystupid and get yourself killed. Of course, there are no assurances. You mightstill get killed. It's just the way of the business we're in.""Very well," the Vanguard said. "I'll escort you, but I want my feeupfront.""Don't be a smartass," Owl immediately replied, and the sudden lookon her face made me wonder if she was about to break his nose."Then I want a proper contract written out. I've heard enough aboutyour lot to know you can't be trusted.""Maybe we should pick someone else," I whispered to Master Owl."You've made your choice now, pipsqueak. Don't run away from theconsequences."He turned back to face the woman who was two heads above him."We'll sign a proper contract, have no fear about that, but we're not payingbefore we know if you're actually worth what you cost."The woman scoffed but then said, "Fine."This will be a terrible partnership…We returned to the Guild Ward, the Vanguard leading the way with long,confident strides and dressed in her metal armour. A slightly bowed circularshield was fastened to her left forearm and had two spikes jutting out fromeither side of her wrist, allowing the protective tool to also become aweapon, which I thought was fitting for someone with so aggressive anaura. On her left hip hung a double-edged shortsword with a weightedpommel.Master Owl and I struggled to keep up with her and didn't catch up untilwe came to two imposing metal doors of a castle-like building that wasapparently the Mercenary Guild. The door was only slightly open, with justenough space for two people to enter simultaneously, but far narrower thanthe entryway into the Adventurers' Guild. Granted, the doors themselvesalso seemed so cumbersome and heavy that I doubted anyone could evenshift them from their position.The building had a completely different feeling than the Adventurers'Guild, as the brutal stone-and-metal structure radiated a very serious andoverbearing atmosphere. All the people within looked more like lifelongsoldiers than adventurers, even though they went through the same RoleAssignment and were all Otherworlders like me.As I scanned the gathered mercenaries within, I saw a lot of people witha similar aura hue as our hired Vanguard, but there were also a couple thathad a golden hue that seemed to match Harleigh's Soul Colour, meaningthey were probably Crusaders. The rest were a bunch of different coloursthat I didn't yet know the meaning of, though their armour and weaponsgave some hints."See that soft-looking baby-blue aura over there?" Owl asked.I nodded."That one's a Spellhand. This world's equivalent to a magician, Isuppose. That group of three brown auras are Hunters. They're capable ofdoing specialised quests like Tracking and Investigations.""What about the dark-green ones?""Those are Sharpshooters, a long-ranged Archer specialisation availableto Rangers and Hunters.""And the green ones are Rangers, then?""That's right.""What about the beige one surrounded by all those people? She seemsreally popular.""You can't rely exclusively on your Spirit Sight. Take off your gogglesand tell me what you think she might be."We had reached the back of a queue to a large counter staffed by threeclerks in outfits of dark-blue shirts with black ties and grey dress pants,where a few groups ahead of us seemed to also be preparing to makecontracts for mercenary work with the clients next to them, though weseemed the only adventurers in the lot, with the rest being rich-lookingLundia natives.I took off my goggles and looked at the girl, who was surrounded bythree Vanguards, a Sharpshooter, and a Spellhand, and noticed her particularclothing of a stainless white robe with golden embellishments and thepeculiar staff in her hand. I hadn't seen her kind of staff in the For-RentArmoury, though I was sure I'd just missed it, but it was made of bronzeand had a cross at the end, in the middle of which sat a perfectly sphericalglass orb. If it worked similarly to the lantern-type foci, then it'd beoptimised for projection spells, apparently.The way that people were crowding around her eagerly reminded me ofa scene that I'd witnessed yesterday in the Adventurers' Guild Hall. She hadthe most popular role out of all that I'd seen so far."She's a Priest," I answered."That's right. When it comes to Luck, they're the direct opposite of us,given that their role requires an A tier in the attribute."I frowned. That kind of instant popularity was unfair, I thought."What do they do, since they're so popular?"I'd heard that they did miracles but had no idea what that translatedinto."Priests heal. They're the backbone of any competent party in thisworld.""Heal? Like curing sickness and injury?""Yes…" he replied, as though that much was obvious."Huh, that's pretty cool," I replied, though I was still pretty jealous ofthem."Just like how Exorcists are the only ones that can deal with exorcisms,Priests are the only ones who can deal with Healing. They're not quite asrare as us when it comes to Role Assignments, but they're not a dime adozen either, so they get the pick of the litter when it comes to groups. Likeus, they also don't really have any offensive skills, so they are beholden tothe goodwill of others, but, you know, when you're single-handedly capableof keeping people alive, they tend to prioritise your safety. No one gives ashit about Exorcists like that…"The way he talks about it reminds me of how the nerds in my highschool complained about the popular kids… but then, I was one of thosenerds, I suppose. Once again, I was reminded of how special Renji was,given that he was ostensibly the King of Nerds in both our middle schooland high school but was somehow also friends with all the popular peopleand admired by all the girls."Next!" called the clerk at the Mercenary Guild's counter, and it wassuddenly our turn to make a contract.
